BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS (ALSO KNOWN AS REPARATION LAND GRANTS) #2 GEORGE WASHINGTON FARMER and LAND SPECULATOR : LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

This wonderful article from the United States Library of Congress in the George Washington papers collection tells about his interest in acquiring land but also in seeing that his soldiers got theirs.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS : WASHINGTON AS LAND SPECULATOR

He had over 52,000 acres by 1800. Wouldn't it be a thrill to trace LAND OWNERSHIP in your family and find out that at some point George Washington owned it?  Well, if your ancestors were in the Ohio Valley or Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Kentucky, or Virginia there is a chance.

Excerpt: Washington's lifelong interest in land speculation is illustrated in the fight over bounty lands promised to the veterans of the Virginia Regiment who fought with him in the French and Indian War. In this episode, Washington acted on behalf of his fellow veterans as well as vigorously, sometimes aggressively, in staking out his own land claims.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Land Grants - AWG

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BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS (ALSO KNOWN AS REPARATION LAND GRANTS) FOR REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE - THE WAR OF 1812 and THE MEXICAN - AMERICAN WAR #1

THIS POST IS CATEGORIZED WITH HOMESTEAD ACT LAND GRANTS.

Another way to acquire land that would be yours to settle on when you had little to no money in the United States was to serve in the War, usually as a soldier although other forms of service to your country were consider.  Bounty Land Grants were awarded for three wars.

The Revolutionary, The War of 1812, and the Mexican - American War.

The story goes that General George Washington did not have enough money to pay soldiers.  From our American History study, we know that many a poor person signed up and there was not enough money to even uniform all these soldiers.  We learn of the men who almost froze to death waiting orders. So an agreement was, if a soldier survived and the war was won, then that soldier would be given land in exchange for his service.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES (NARA) in Washington, DC is the holder of these documents.  They can be requested on NATF form 85 which is called Military Pension/Bounty Land Warrant Applications. NATIONAL ARVHIVES GOV _ APPLICATION FOR BOUNTY LAND WARRANTS

As with other early American documents, the soldier would need to provide proof of his service and that sometimes meant written testimonials.

Widows could apply if their husband had not while he was alive.

In September of 1776, the new country's Congress put through the agreement officially and applications could be made through about 1858 - there was an extension to 1863.

Of course, you have to lean on other documents that prove the ancestor was in service of the United States before you fill out that form. 

The National Archives of the United States is the keeper of our American History documents, and from it the various genealogy databases get their information.  Don't discount going to the source, especially if you do not wish to pay for special databases.  It's always worth going to your local public library to see what electronic resources they have for free and sometimes they do have genealogy databases - at least "library editions" - loaded for your use.

The National Archives site can be intimidating.  It is thorough though and if you register as a user you can email experts for some advice.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Homestead Act - AWG

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NATIVE AMERICANS and THE HOMESTEAD ACT

Though Native Americans were displaced by Homestead Act land holders and often headed back to reservations, in genealogy we are thorough and never assume, so don't assume that people of Native American heritage did not also apply for land grants or that they all lived on "Indian Reservations."

THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 PROVIDED 160 ACRES OF LAND #1 THE HISTORY OF LAND GRANTS FOR HOMESTEADING

You've probably heard "40 acres and a mule" is an ideal family farmstead, but consider that 160 acres of land provided that the family might be able to divide that up as children grew to maturity and another generation or two could live there. But then what?  For a small filing fee, even a freed slave could apply to homestead land.  An immigrant who was not yet an American citizen could apply and get land.  And, though women's liberation (Feminism) was the cause of few, you could apply as a woman. If there's a chance that one of your American ancestors claimed land and that can be a very interesting thing to add to your family history research project.

THE HOMESTEAD ACT of 1862 REMAINED IN PLACE FOR THE NEXT 124 YEARS and 270 million acres were claimed and settled, which turns out to be about 10% of the United States. (You could still homestead in Alaska for another decade.)

Most of the land was "unsettled" such as in the prairie lands, though today we know that notions that "nobody" lived in these places is often not correct because Native American did live there.

New settlers had to live on the land they wanted for a continuous five years and improve it.  For some this was living off the land and living in an underground house until an above ground house could be built. Cutting down trees or tilling soil could be considered an improvement.

Today I think of the modern Tiny House movement because families back in the day often lived in a house that was basically one room. Today, we seriously question if displacing people so that gentrification can take place is socially responsible behavior.

HISTORY COM - Homestead Act Basics

NATIONAL ARCHIVES GOV - HOMESTEAD ACT including some documents

Next post I'll tell you how to find these documents.

This post is part of a series.  To pull up the series, click on the tag Help - Land Grants- AWG

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